January 23, 2018 8:30am ESTJanuary 23, 2018 8:29am ESTYu Darvish has a chance to be reunited with the catcher who worked with him in Texas in 2014.Yu Darvish, right, with Chris Gimenez in 2014(Getty Images)

Yu Darvish is reportedly negotiating with a second NL Central team, except this one just signed his onetime personal catcher.

The Associated Press reported Monday that Darvish was in "active talks" with the Cubs, just days after it was reported he was talking with the Brewers.

There was noise on the 'net that Chicago might have given itself a tiny advantage by signing free-agent catcher Chris Gimenez to a minor-league contract. That move is vaguely similar to the Cubs bringing in David Ross to pair with Jon Lester in 2015.

That said, any talk of a Gimenez-Darvish connection seems overblown, for two reasons:

— Darvish and Gimenez worked together for just 12 starts in 2014 with the Rangers. Darvish missed the 2015 season because of Tommy John surgery, and Gimenez had moved to the Indians long before Darvish returned in 2016. Gimenez spent last season with the Twins, who reportedly are among Darvish's suitors.

— Darvish, 31, has been pretty good no matter who has caught him. He has a career 3.42 ERA and has averaged 11.0 strikeouts per nine innings (3.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio) in parts of five big-league seasons.

Numbers like that are why he can command a five-year contract (the length of the deal the Brewers reportedly offered him) during an offseason that has yielded no big deals for free-agent starters. And the deal will be far more important than where Gimenez is playing.